The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-11-16
The Long Night Vigil and Watch Daring
ih, Forenoon al The County Jail.
Procession 10 he GillVws Alter Reading the
Dsath Warrant.
Scene on the GanOws-Preparing the Pris-
Oners-The Trap sPru9g Death En-
sues by StranEuIation-NOtes.

COOK COUNTY JAIL, CHICAGO, November
1.-Anarachists Parsons Fischer, Engel
and Spies, the codvIcted Haymarket muir
derers, have been throtsled by the law-the
self same law that they had hoped to
throttle. Their scaffold drop fell at IL :54
to-day.
81, Canute Ii. Matson, Sheriff of Cook
County, Ill, do hereby certify that on the
nth day Of November, A. D., 1887, be-
tween the hours OF 10 o'clock in the fore
noon and o'clock in the afternoon OF that
day, in the common Jail OF said county, /
did as said Sheriff, dulysexecute August
Spies, Adolph Fischer, George Engel and
Albert r. Parsons, in conformity with the
sentence OF the Criminal Court, in pur-
,uance of the order and judgment OF the
Supreme Court of Illinois, for the North
ern Grand Division.
MADE and entered OF record, on the 18th
day OF September, 1887, and in accordance
with the statutes Of the State OF Illinois,
in euch cases provided.
"CANUTE r. MATsoN.
I'VE the undersigned, who are not rela-
tives of the above named August Spies or
others, hereby certify that we have wit
messed the execution, by hanging, Of the
sale Angus Spies and others, and In the
abcTe certificate set forth "
Signatures of twelve Chicago citizens
are appended to the solemn declarations
public record of the death of the Hayn ar
ket muTderers.
During the long hours of the night the
only newspaper men who we're admitted to
the inner precincts OF the jail we're the
representatives. OF the Associated Press.
They had quarters in what is known as the
lawyers cage, and were within ten feet OF
| the Anarchists. At O'clock one of them
made tour OF the lower corridor, where
| Spies, Parsons, Fischer and Engel were
| confined. In each cell were two stalTart
| guards, who stood watch over the Ansrch-
lists. The former chatted in low tones, and
| whispered Jokes among themselves to
| while away the time. But the talk and
| whispered Jokes were all lost on the prison
| ers. Each was in the heaviest of slum-
bers. Spies Jay on one side, his head
| on his arm and slept as peacefully
! as babe. Fischer had turned over on
his back and the consequence was that he
/ frequently let out q snore that echoed in q
) stsrtlidg manner through the silent cor
] ridors of the building. Engel lay motion
less as did Parsons, except that at this
| time the latter started uneasily as IL dreams
| were coursing through his mind. Then
| at intervals the silence was broken by the
stealtby walk Of an armory guard, who
made the rounds of the lower corridor to
| see that all was well. The only other dis
Il
/ jail Cat, who kept up the noise so persist
emily that at last deputy bore down on,
captured and removed her to the basement,
where her cries could not be heard. All
| the common prisoners, to the number oil
i about two hundred, were left in their
usual cells. The practice at hangiDgs in
| Chicago is to not remove them until a few
| hours before the execution takes place
/ Sheriff Matson decided to follow the old
II NIL ho M cd al nf
| located in the tiers of cells facing north
| and which command a partial view of the
1 scaffold, were marched into the tiers facing
| south, where not a glimpse Of the execu-
I ton can be had.
THE GALLONS USED.
The gsllows for the present hanging were
| located in The extreme northeast corner oil
| the cell room. An inspection was made oil
| them during the night by the Ass ociated
| Press reporter. They are the largest ever
| erected in Cook county. They were orig
| ipally built for the swinging off of the
| three ltalIsns who killed fellow country.
| man and shipped his remains in trunk 70
| Pittsburg. At the time the murderers
| were hung the trap was made to comtorta-
| bly, hold three men, but to accommodate
| the Anarchists Ii was enlarged to the ex-
| tent OF two feet and half in width. To
| reach the scafiold the men who are TO be
/ executed are escorted from the Jail through
| the lower corridor to cell room to an iron
stairway which leads to the second tier.
1 This is distance of ten feet from the
| ground floor, and the platform of the gal
| lows is even with this tier. The wood
work of the instrument OF destruction is
4 painted. or rather stained a very dull red
| dish brown, and as seen by the dim light
of the gas Jets was anything but pleasant to
look UPON.
II
| little sentry box which is located Just
back Of the trap. In this is stationed the
| man who really is the executioner. Into
this box extends a rope. At the given
signal the unknown man inside cuts the
| rope with q brand new and especially
sbsrpensd chisel OF wide dimensions by
striking the chisel heavy blow with q
mallet. Down goes the trap dist ance OF
six feet and at the same time the murder
eTs are launched into eternity,
Some time after midnight Parsons COM
planned that the hum of conversation in
the Jail Office annoyed him and prevented
him from sleeping. The wooden door
which hangs on the Office side of the heavy
bars of the inner door was closed, and the
Texas Anarchist dropped into an uneasy
! slumber. In the Office busy crowd OF
reporters stood writing at the high
desks, or lo1nged about talk.
| Ing Win the deputies. OCCaslOuhliy
heavy step sounded on the iron stat RS
outside and the storm door was opened re-
vealing candidate for admission to all the
horrors provided for the possessors OF pass
es. From within the lawyers cage came
the sharp metallic click of the Associated
Press instrument, dispatching the gather.
ing incidents of the night. Along the
otherwise silent corridors sounded the
slow, regular tramp Of the deputies com
posing the death watch to, and fro, cease
lessly in front OF the cell doors behind
which were the four forfeited lives. A